Behind the Badge
On July 18, 2022, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy was shot and wounded. The deputy was investigating a call of a suspicious vehicle in a neighborhood. When the deputy made contact with the occupant of the vehicle he was met by gunfire. The deputy was wounded and managed to put out a description of the suspect, who was arrested in the area. He was on parole for carjacking.
A 5-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is in stable condition after he was shot twice by a suspect in Rancho Cucamongahttps://t.co/CeYbm29aU3
— KTLA (@KTLA) July 17, 2022
On July 17, 2022, a Mountain View police officer was shot during a traffic stop. The officer was shot by the driver as soon as he approached the car. Mountain View police released a screen capture from the officer’s body camera of the suspect with a gun in their hand firing at the officer.
All,
All, a snapshot of the realities of what officers can face on the job. We're so grateful that our officer was able to walk out of the hospital yesterday. pic.twitter.com/cyJyj3BgZd
— Mountain View Police (@MountainViewPD) July 17, 2022
In both of these shootings the officers are expected to make a full recovery from any physical injuries.
This past week, the National Fraternal Order of Police released a report of the number of officers shot during the first six months of this year. So far this year 178 officers have been shot and wounded. Thirty-three were killed by gunfire.
Thirty-five of those shootings were ambush attacks, meaning the shooter or shooters deliberately lay in wait for the officers with the intent of killing them. This is extremely concerning as ambush attacks are increasing.
According to the report, this a 19 percent increase from 2021 and 2020. This is a significant jump and I doubt if things are going to get any better for officers in the near future.
In addition to the two shootings in California 15 officers have been shot and wounded so far during the month of July across the country.
And while the data is concerning, these numbers really don’t capture everything that is going on. No database is capturing the number of officers who are being shot at but not injured. Every one of those shots was intended to cause harm but by fate or circumstance didn’t hit its intended target. There is no collection of data on officers being stabbed, struck with a blunt object, or intentionally struck with a vehicle. Who knows how many officers are intentionally injured every day.
With the nationwide increase in gun-related homicides in the country — and crime in general the last few years — there is every reason to believe officers, like the public at large, will face increasing risks.
The rise in homicides, aggravated assaults and shootings of police officers all point to systemic problems faced by everyone. It will take the cooperation and collaboration of lawmakers, law enforcement and most importantly the public at large to help curtail the rise in gun violence. We just all need to agree that keeping our neighborhoods and streets safe is a top priority for lawmakers and especially the law enforcement officers who are the front lines dealing with the problem.
